You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.
St. Augustine of HIppo
St. Augustine of HIppo
Let me begin by pointing out, I'm not a big reader. Well, I read a lot, but it tends to be the same books and stories to the kids. I don't tend to do a lot of personal reading. It is quite likely that this blog entry would give you a completely different impression than what is my reality, so I thought I'd put this disclaimer in here now.
It amazes me how often there are themes in my life. So many different areas all seem to converge and all I hear is that gentle, nagging voice whispering, "It's ME. I AM what you need."
And then I'm amazed at how DENSE I must be that the poor Almighty has to make this point to me over and over again.
A few months ago, a really good friend introduced me to a website, FLYLady.net, when I was telling her I just wanted to create an annual schedule to keep track of what household chores I needed to do, when, and how often. Wow did my friend save me from having to reinvent the wheel! It has been a wonderful tool in helping to organize my home and make things less stressful. My home is cleaner, I'm finishing more of my projects, and the kids are definitely benefiting from having more routines. (P and C make their beds every morning!) It was all the stuff I wanted to accomplish, except she had already done the planning and legwork to lay it all out! IT HAS BEEN SUPER SWEET!
But less stress doesn't equal peace.
E just got a pay-cut. It wasn't a drastic one, but it was enough to make things just a little more frustrating. Now, up until recently, E has "managed" our money. We talk about it, but he's the one who pays the bills and tells me what's leftover. And I just don't like a "paycheck-to-paycheck" mentality. And if we approached our money differently, i.e. a more macro perspective, then we wouldn't need to fall into the paycheck-to-paycheck mindset. So I downloaded a book onto my phone and started reading it. Then, I nagged and begged (again) to let me be the one to pay the bills. My logic is that I would have a more global understanding of how our needs are as a family and then WE could make better decisions. So we have some new plans in place and a real, attainable goal for saving money. This should be good. I felt less stress seeing a more complete picture (even if it wasn't as pretty as I had hoped) and enjoyed talking things over with my husband.
But less stress doesn't equal peace.
The book I downloaded is How to Manage Your Money When You Don't Have Any by Erik Wecks. I really like Wecks' perspective. He talks about humility and grace being necessary components to analyze your financial decision making. And he really helps to draw a real distinction between wants and needs. And boy did I need that reminder because I was sadly starting to confuse the two! My list of "needs" was getting longer and more expensive. And boy is it a relief to realize how much shorter that list actually is. (He writes like a Catholic, maybe that's why I like him so much!) So between Wecks and FLYLady, I'm living a less cluttered life and I feel more satisfied with what I have. This is great.
But where is the peace?
Years ago, I joined a mom's group that studied Holly Pierlot's A Mother's Rule of Life. This book took a hard look at how moms, and really all people, need to prioritize their relationships. It emphasized prayer needing to be the foundation; the biggest rock in the jar so it must be given first priority.
And there is that gentle, nagging voice again. A clean house and ordered finances don't make peace. Peace comes only through Christ. "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid." (John 14:27)
It's never going to be peace until I turn to God...
And then I'm amazed at how DENSE I must be that the poor Almighty has to make this point to me over and over again.
A few months ago, a really good friend introduced me to a website, FLYLady.net, when I was telling her I just wanted to create an annual schedule to keep track of what household chores I needed to do, when, and how often. Wow did my friend save me from having to reinvent the wheel! It has been a wonderful tool in helping to organize my home and make things less stressful. My home is cleaner, I'm finishing more of my projects, and the kids are definitely benefiting from having more routines. (P and C make their beds every morning!) It was all the stuff I wanted to accomplish, except she had already done the planning and legwork to lay it all out! IT HAS BEEN SUPER SWEET!
But less stress doesn't equal peace.
E just got a pay-cut. It wasn't a drastic one, but it was enough to make things just a little more frustrating. Now, up until recently, E has "managed" our money. We talk about it, but he's the one who pays the bills and tells me what's leftover. And I just don't like a "paycheck-to-paycheck" mentality. And if we approached our money differently, i.e. a more macro perspective, then we wouldn't need to fall into the paycheck-to-paycheck mindset. So I downloaded a book onto my phone and started reading it. Then, I nagged and begged (again) to let me be the one to pay the bills. My logic is that I would have a more global understanding of how our needs are as a family and then WE could make better decisions. So we have some new plans in place and a real, attainable goal for saving money. This should be good. I felt less stress seeing a more complete picture (even if it wasn't as pretty as I had hoped) and enjoyed talking things over with my husband.
But less stress doesn't equal peace.
The book I downloaded is How to Manage Your Money When You Don't Have Any by Erik Wecks. I really like Wecks' perspective. He talks about humility and grace being necessary components to analyze your financial decision making. And he really helps to draw a real distinction between wants and needs. And boy did I need that reminder because I was sadly starting to confuse the two! My list of "needs" was getting longer and more expensive. And boy is it a relief to realize how much shorter that list actually is. (He writes like a Catholic, maybe that's why I like him so much!) So between Wecks and FLYLady, I'm living a less cluttered life and I feel more satisfied with what I have. This is great.
But where is the peace?
Years ago, I joined a mom's group that studied Holly Pierlot's A Mother's Rule of Life. This book took a hard look at how moms, and really all people, need to prioritize their relationships. It emphasized prayer needing to be the foundation; the biggest rock in the jar so it must be given first priority.
And there is that gentle, nagging voice again. A clean house and ordered finances don't make peace. Peace comes only through Christ. "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid." (John 14:27)
It's never going to be peace until I turn to God...
Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil,
graciously grant peace in our days,
that, by the help of your mercy,
we may be always free from sin
and safe from all distress,
as we await the blessed hope
and the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
-Embolism
graciously grant peace in our days,
that, by the help of your mercy,
we may be always free from sin
and safe from all distress,
as we await the blessed hope
and the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
-Embolism